CETF Urges Comcast To Commit to Internet Essentials Requirements in Proposed California PUC Decision

The California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) and its partners called on Comcast Thursday to pledge to meet requirements in the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) proposed decision on the Comcast/Time Warner Cable (TWC) deal that would require Comcast to reach 45 percent of all eligible low-income residents in its post-merger territory in the state with its low-cost Internet Essentials broadband program. The CPUC wants to require Comcast to spend $275 per household on outreach, digital literacy training and assistance in enrolling in Internet Essentials. Comcast has said those requirements are unrealistic, while CETF said it believes those requirements are doable. “CETF and our partners call on Comcast to join an effective public-private partnership to close the Digital Divide in California, and we stand ready to work with Comcast and all interested community-based organizations,” CETF President Sunne McPeak said in a statement. “There is no substitute for the innovation and efficiency of the private sector when engaged as sincere partners motivated to achieve explicit goals. Effective public-private partnerships can significantly leverage public benefit resources for a higher return on investment to taxpayers and ratepayers.” A Comcast spokeswoman said the company "is proud of our network of thousands" of community participants in building the Internet Essentials program. "We welcome CETF's continued participation in our program, but if they prefer a different program, they are certainly free to create their own program independent of Internet Essentials and join our fight to connect low income Californians to the Internet," the Comcast spokeswoamn said. The CPUC is currently set to vote on the proposed Comcast/TWC decision March 26.